June 5, 2008
University Park, Pa. - Penn State relief pitcher Drew O'Neil was drafted in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft today by the Chicago White Sox. The righthander was taken with the eighth pick of the fourth round, which was the 120th overall pick of the draft. This marks the second straight year that O'Neil has been drafted in the MLB draft, as he was also taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth round last year with the 259th overall pick.
O'Neil is the highest picked Nittany Lion since Nate Bump was selected in the first round in the 1998 draft and overall, O'Neil becomes the third highest draft pick in Penn State baseball history. Only Bump and Mitch Lukevics (2nd rd - 1975) have been selected higher in the primary draft. O'Neil is also the third player from the Big Ten to be taken in this year's draft and the first Penn Stater to be drafted by the White Sox since Lukevics was taken by the White Sox in the second round of the 1975 draft.
O'Neil, who elected to return to Penn State rather than sign with the Reds last year, earned his degree in economics last month and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in addition to his exploits on the field, one of a record 261 Penn State student-athletes to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors for the 2007-08 school year.
The closer for the Nittany Lions for the second straight year, O'Neil tied his own school record that he set last year by recording 11 saves this year. He also broke the school record for career saves when he recorded his 16th career save in just the 20th game of the season, breaking a record that had been set in four years in just one season plus 20 games. He ends his Penn State career 22-for-23 in save chances. O'Neil gave up just one earned run in two years to a Big Ten team during the regular season, that coming during his final regular season appearance on the final weekend of the regular season this year, and gave up just 11 earned runs in two years over 62.1 innings. This year, he did not give up an extra base hit until his final batter of the season and had a streak of 19.1 straight innings over 17 straight appearances without allowing an earned run. His 26 appearances this year rank fourth on the single season list for appearances at Penn State.
The Roswell, Ga. native, who had an ERA under 1.00 until giving up a home run in his final appearance of the year, was a two-time first team All-Big Ten selection. He joined Bump (`96, `98) and Michael Campo (`99, `00) as the only two-time first team All-Big Ten honorees in Penn State history. O'Neil was also on numerous preseason watch lists for major awards this year, including the Brooks Wallace Award, the Roger Clemens Award, the Golden Spikes Award and he remains a candidate for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in the country.